TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As seniors across Southern Arizona marked the end of the school year this week, students at the Pima County Joint Technical Education District celebrated a milestone of their own: completion day.
While the University of Arizona prepared for its Friday commencement ceremony, Pima JTED students wrapped up career and technical education programs designed to prepare them for college and the workforce.
At one classroom on Tucson’s Southside campus, Social and Mental Health Technician instructor Maeve Sielawa reflected on watching another group of students move on.
“And I was the one who started the program here on this campus, so it’s only three years old,” Sielawa said.
Pima JTED partners with school districts throughout Southern Arizona to offer career-focused training in fields ranging from health care and aviation to welding and veterinary science. According to the district, it serves roughly 22,000 students annually through central and satellite campuses across the region.
Students can earn industry certifications, licenses and, in some cases, college credit while still in high school through partnerships with institutions such as Pima Community College.
For Sielawa, seeing students complete the program is rewarding but bittersweet.
“I’m proud of them, I’m excited for them, I want to see all the great things they do in the future, but I have to admit it is sad,” she said.
Student Haleigh Askew said the experience helped prepare her for the next step in her education. Askew plans to attend the University of Arizona in the fall.
“It’s really sad to be leaving all these JTED friends that I’ve made these last two years, and leaving my teacher… she was amazing and she really helped me learn,” Askew said.
Askew said the program challenged her in ways traditional coursework sometimes did not.
“It really taught me that, I can’t just get sick and tired of school work because I actually have to try at JTED, they don’t just give you an A,” she said.
Sielawa said that practical experience gives students an advantage as they enter college or begin careers.
“Their resume is going to be pretty packed compared to a student who doesn’t have a chance to do this program,” she said.
Enrollment for upcoming Pima JTED programs remains open for eligible sophomores, juniors and seniors throughout Southern Arizona.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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